Tabulating machine



0d 31 1933- J. R. PElRcE 1,933,335

TABULATING MACHINE Filed-March 26, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet l @ma @me Allimlil"llluhllnu" IllIll' 47 'lillmilnllmhmmm.,

/INVENTOR RNE-M47 Oct. 31, 1933. J. R. PElRcE 1,933,335

TABULATING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 55 Ii'. .M

25' l 7:. 24 5 6 43 l 8a 25a- 57' l 4,1 4l\ l 1 i l i lil I y l 3 f? Il H 3 il 1 .P60 l Z4 M 54 INVENTOR I @me Oct. 31, 1933. J. R. PElRcE 1,933,335

TABULATING MACHINE Filed March 26, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIGA.

INVENTOR Patented Oct. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES TABULATING MACHINE John Royden Peirce, New York, N. Y., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, a corporation of New York Application March 26, 1931. Serial No. 525,431

2Claima.

This invention relates to perforated card controlled accounting machines and more particularly to plug boards used in connection with such machines to cause data taken from a particular i position on a card to be transmitted to the desired position in an accumulating device or to effect control of a particular column of printing mechanism. c

In machines of this character, it is customary to connect the perforation sensing elements to separate plug sockets on the plug board and to tage oi' this type of connection between the perforation sensing elements and the accumulators, i columns of type, and control devices is that any column on the card may be connected to any desired accumulating column, or printing column, or other device or devices. a ilexible system in which it is possible to apply i data to record cards in any desired columns and to thereafter use these cards to control the making oi' reports in which the data taken from the cards may be printed according to any desired arrangement on the report sheet. It is also posi sible with such an arrangement to use a set of cards to control the making of a report arranged according to a desired form`and to then use the same set of cards to make out a report according to an entirely diierent form arrangement. i These various forms or arrangements are obtained by rearranging the plug connections on ythe plug board before commencing to operate :the machine.

In statistical departments, it is often common to employ certain set forms of report repeatedly without making any changes or withv only occasional slight changes in the connection between the card column and the printed column of the report.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a plug board in which a set up may be made on a detachable plate for the common report forms and maintained intact. connection several. such set-ups may be kept on handandusedwhenaparticularreportistobe 'I'his provides y In this' made up. Also whenever a slight change is desired in the report, the plugging connections for controlling the report may be very readily rearranged by any operator of the., machine with a minimum loss of time.

Another object is to provide a device of this character in which clean electrical contact will be assured between the parts.

Another object is to provide a device of this character in which the plate containing the permarient or semi-permanent interconnections may be put in place in the machine or removed therefrom and put away Without accidentally disturbing the plugging arrangement.

These and other objects will be brought out more fully in the description of the invention which follows:

Referring to the drawings wherein one form of the invention is disclosed:

Fig. 1 is a front vview of the plug board in 75 position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional detail taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a wiring diagram of a tabulating ma chine illustrating the manner in which the invention is employed;

Fig. 5 is a detail of a plug and socket.

In order to more clearly illustrate the type of machine in which my invention is employed I have shown a wiring diagram in Fig. 4 which is similar to the Wiring diagram in my aforesaid patent. In such machines two sets of perforation sensing brushes 1 and 2 are employed cooperating with corresponding contact members 3 and 4, one for each brush. The perforated data cards are fed between the brushes 1 and 2 and the members 3, 4. Wherever a perforation in a column passes between a. brush and its corresponding member 3 or 4, the brush will reach 95 through the perforation and engage the member 3 or 4 thus completing electric circuit through the accumulating or printing or other control relay to effect the desired operation of the machine. As disclosed, each of the members 3 and 100 4 is connected through individual wire 5, 6 to a corresponding terminal 7, 8 on the plug board 9. Additional terminals 10 are connected to magnets or relays 11 which control the accumulating or printing devices or both. In order to 105 cause a particular column on a card to control va particular accumulating order or printing column, a plugging connection is normally made between the respective terminals 'I and the desired terminal 10. 'Also where group indicating 110 is to be effected, that is, where a group designating number is to be printed, a connection is made by plugging from the desired terminal or terminals 7 to one of the terminals 17 and similar plug connection effected between terminals 19 and 10. With such a connection the control- -ling circuit will be from the\positive side of the line 14 to the common bar 15,'individual magnet 11, terminal 10, through the plug in connection to terminal 19, wire 20, contacts 16, terminal 17, the plug connection to terminal 7, wire 6, contact member 4, brush 2 and back to the other side of the line 14a.

According to the present invention this plugging connection in the board 9 is omitted and a separable board or plate 24 is provided having terminal sockets 10a, 7a, etc. For printing and accumulating, the plugging connection will now be made between sockets 7a and 10a as indicated by the plug wire 25. Now when the plate 24 is turned 180 upon the axis 26 the several terminal contacts 10a will engage corresponding terminal contacts 10 and contacts 7a will engage contacts 7 so that the proper plug connection -will exist between terminals 7 and 10. Simi- 9 the proper plug connections will exist between terminals 7, 17 and 10, 19 to carry the circuit through contacts 16. To effect group control-' ling through particular columns on the cards these columns will be connected through their brushes 'to magnets 21 by connecting theparticular terminals 8 to the desired terminals 23. This is eiected by connecting plug sockets 8a to plug sockets 23a by plug wires 36, the sockets 8a and 23a being adapted to contact with terminals 8 and 23 when the plate 24 is attached to the board 9. Each magnet 21 effects its control upon the machine by controlling one of the sets of contacts 21a. These contacts are connected in series and each represents one column on the card. As many as are necessary will be used and the rest will be shunted out by a connection between the terminals 37. This is done by a plug connection 38 between contacts 37a.

When adding is being done in a given number of columns and the total is going to run into an additional column, the next higher order accumulator wheel may be connected to receive the spill over carry and to thereafter control its type to print the total, by connecting the proper magnet 11 through terminal 10 to one of the terminals 39 in the common plate 40. A plug connection 40a between the particular socket 10a and one of the sockets 39a will effect this.

It will thus be seen that the machine may be provided with a terminal board to and from which all plug circuits run and are connected to contact terminals and the plugging connections may be made in a separable plate or board which, when put in place on the terminal board, willv properly interconnect the terminals.

As shown in Fig. 2 each of the socket contacts 7a, 8a etc. reaches through the plate 24 and has the plug sdcket 41 fixed' on one end on one side of the plate and a securing nut 42 on the other.

Where several plugging sockets are desired in loekets 41. A plug '25a is adapted to be inserted in the socket where it will be gripped and held by a wire spring or other suitable device 45 as shown in Fig. 5; The plug wires 25, 27, 28, etc. are connected at their opposite ends to the plugs 25a. The plugging arrangement may be effected while the plug board section 2 4is detached .from the machine so that the operating time of the machine may not be interfered with. The connection having been made the section or plate 24 may be attached to the machine when the operator is ready to put the machine into operation.

After the plug connections have been made a cover 45 may be placed on the section 24 to cover up all ofthe connecting wires and plugs so that they will not thereafter be disturbed. The cover may be detachably secured to the section 24 by means of hinges 46 and may be latched in place by a resilient latching member 47 cooperating with a latching bracket 48 xed to the member 24. The-latchI 47 is, of course, attached `to the cover 45 and reaches through an opening in the side of thev cover to.engage the bracket 48, a projection 47a of the latch reaching through an opening 49 inthe` fr of the cover to permit manipulation.

The hinges 46 will permit the removal of th cover so that the latter may be set aside when the plugging set up is being made.

The board 9 is made up of insulating material with a metallic or other suitable frame 9. and the plate 24 is also of insulating material with a frame 24. The board 9 is rigidly attached to' the tabulating machine 50 and is provided with a pair of retaining bracketsA 51 and springs 52 along its lower edge. Attached to the upper edge of the board is a bearing bracket 53 in which a rod 54 is rotatably mounted. This rod is provided with a handle 55 for manipulation. Fixed tothe rod is a latching member 56 pro- M5 vided with a ilange' 57 adapted when the rod is turned to reach out over the edge of the plate' 24 to latch it in place on the board 9. Integral with the bracket 53 is a cam member 58 adapted to cooperate with the cam 59 ilxed to the rod 54. As the latching rod is turned to clamp the plate 24 in position the cams 58, 59 cause the rod 54 and latching flange 57 to bev-drawn inwardly, thus pulling the frame 24' of the lplate- 24 up against the frame 9' of the board 9; -125 Also the latching member 56 is in the shape of a cam as at 60 so -that asthe rod is-turnedI to clamp the plate in position it also forces the` plate downwardly against the springs `52, com-- pressing the latter. The terminals 7, 8, etc. car-1130 ried by the board 9 are in the form of plungersl actuated by springs 61 pressing the plungers up-v. wardly as viewed in Fig. 2' away from the face: of the board. When the plate 24 is put in'po-': sition on the-board 9 the terminals; 7a, 8a,=and 13 5 the nuts 42 iixed thereto willengage the outer" ends of the terminals 7, 8. As the handle 55 is'f turned, pulling the plate 24 closer to the board 9i all of the terminals 7a, 8awill press tightly against the terminals 7, 8 thus insuring good=140 contact throughout the ventire .plugging board. Also the lateral or downward movement of plate" 24 under the action of the cam 60 will cause 'theterminals 7a, 8a to rub over the ends of the minals 7, 8 to eiect a rubbing contact which 145 will act to keep the contact surfaces clean and tov get rid of 'dust particles which would other-fr wise tend to impair the electrical contact be-v tween the parts. 'r

whne there has been shown and described and' 15@ pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by thosev skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an electrically controlled accounting machine, a plurality of control'elements, wiring for interconnecting said elements, a terminal board provided with terminals to which said wiring is connected, a plug board having terminals adapted to cooperate with the terminals JOHN ROYDEN PEIRCE. 

